Changelog for PyOPUS 0.8 (with respect to PyOPUS 0.7)
=====================================================

general
-------
- converted all binary modules to NumPy 1.7 API

misc
----
- renamed id.py to identify.py
- added microthread id support
- added sobol.py for generating Sobol sequences, 
  includes a binary module
- added halton.py for generating Halton sequences
  includes a binary module

problems
--------
- all optimization test problems are now under the problems module
- added More-Wild test functions and data profile generation, 
  includes a binary module
- global optimization test problems are now in the glbc module, 
  new problems added (the Hedar set of problems)
- MADS test problems added, 
  includes a binary module (MDO and STYRENE), 
  depends on the lvns module (MAD6, HS114)
- Lukšan-Vlček problems, 
  includes binary modules
- Large scale nonsmooth test function (Karmitsa set), 
  includes a binary module
- Interface to CUTEr problems (LINUX only at present)

simulator
---------
- rawfile now supports importing spice raw files generated by Spectre
- added support for Cadence Spectre simulator (batch mode)

evaluator
---------
- cost module renamed to aggregate, CostEvaluator renamed to Aggregator
- performance module can distribute the evaluations of analyses in corners 
  across multiple computing nodes
- user can now specify python variables that are accessible during 
  the evaluation of save directives, analyses, and performance measures
- new auxiliary functions for parameter management (auxfunc)

parallel
--------
- removed support for PVM
- added support for MPI
- added a cooperative multitasking OS with task outsourcing
- evtdrvms and jobdispatch modules are now marked as obsolete, 
  will be removed in next release

design
------
- design automation module added
- added sesitivity analysis and parameter screening
- added worst case performance and worst case distance analysis
- added Monte Carlo analysis
- added sizing across corners
- added yield targeting

optimizer
---------
- added constrained optimizer
- splitted the plugin and annotator functionality
- moved RandomDelay and CostCollector to the optimizer module
- modified the mechanism for invoking remote evaluation
- added support for caching (works out of the box only for local runs)
- added support for filter-based point acceptance
- add the grid-restrained Nelder Mead algorithm
- removed the ppe optimizer, use the parallel.cooperative.cOS.dispatch method instead
- added mesh-adaptive direct search with quadratic programming (cvxopt based)


PyOPUS 0.8 depends on
---------------------
- NumPy
- SciPy
- MatPlotLib
- wxPython
- CVXOPT
- Greenlet
- MPI4py
- CUTEr compiled with -fPIC
